1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to communications. In particular, it pertains to wireless network communications with position-location capabilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communications devices have become much more prevalent in the last few years. Cell phones are commonplace, and Internet access through cell phones is increasing in popularity. Wireless laptop computers and related mobile devices are being connected to the Internet through wireless access points in places like airport terminals. These wireless access points have many of the same features as cell phone base stations, such as automated selection of one of the access point within range to handle data communications for a given mobile device, and seamless transfer of this control to a different access point as the mobile device is moved.
Although the Internet provides a great deal of locally interesting information to users, the users must generally know which sites to access to obtain the desired relevant information. Further, xe2x80x98localxe2x80x99 in this context generally means within an entire city, or at least an area of many square miles. When the user is moving around using a wireless mobile device, knowledge of what is available in the immediate vicinity is generally not available, or at least not easily obtainable. This lack of information on what is available to the user in the immediate vicinity can be frustrating to the user of the mobile device. By the same token, businesses may want to inform the user of their commercial facilities that are within the user""s vicinity (i.e., a restaurant, vending machine, ATM, etc.), but cannot do so because they don""t know where the user is located.